Over the past three days in Yokohama, top government and business leaders from Africa and Japan discussed what they see as an exciting future for booming African economies, at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. The optimistic narrative on Africa's economies is supported by ...

The nation’s demographic woes pulled the rate down 0.1 point from June to 2.2 percent, the lowest since October 1992.

The three-day African development conference ends with a 13-page Yokohama Declaration viewed as criticism of Beijing’s “debt-trap diplomacy” in the rapidly growing continent.

A century after Germany's monarchy was abolished, some of its blue-blooded descendants are riding back into battle to reclaim what they see as their royal birthright. At stake are fabulous palaces and thousands of priceless artifacts and artworks. The fight has thrown a new spotlight on ...

On the eve of Disaster Prevention Day in Japan, communications experts urged authorities using social media to improve messaging targeting foreign residents of Japan and visitors to the country so that what they are trying to convey will come through loud and clear. Amid an ...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's much-touted meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping yielded no agreement on the South China Sea territorial dispute between the two nations or a plan to explore the area for oil and gas. Instead, Xi and Duterte agreed to form committees to ...

When 38-year-old Naomichi Suzuki was elected governor of Hokkaido in April, he simultaneously achieved another feat: becoming the youngest serving prefectural leader in the nation. Although some initially counted on the young Suzuki to be communicative, or even outspoken, he has so far trodden carefully, ...

In the corner of a cemetery near the central part of the city of Kagoshima stands an independent ossuary. The charnel house, administered by the Kagoshima Municipal Government, is home to unidentified people who lost their lives in the bombings of the city during ...

Amid a continuing labor shortage in the food service industry, major restaurant chains in the Chubu region are hiring an increasing number of foreign workers who have just graduated from universities in Japan. The firms are hiring them not as short-term, part-time workers but as ...

When Mary Ann San Jose moved to Sitio Pariahan more than two decades ago, she could walk to the local chapel. Today, reaching it requires a swim. The main culprit is catastrophic subsidence caused by groundwater being pumped out from below, often via unregulated wells ...

The Japanese unit of Sweden's AB Volvo demonstrated for journalists on Thursday a highly autonomous truck at a sugar factory in Hokkaido, where it moved for about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) without the involvement of a human driver. UD Trucks Corp. said the test, which ...

Narita International Airport, located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) outside of Tokyo, has always been something of a headache for travelers. A lack of off-hour transport options means passengers and staff on early and late flights can sometimes be left stranded. But that's about to ...

The runway at the Xanana Gusmao International Airport on East Timor's southern coast is deathly quiet apart from roosters crowing on nearby farms. Built in 2017 to accommodate a $12 billion energy project, it is now barely being used — the only scheduled flight ...

The low-cost carrier will freeze services between New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido and Incheon Airport, and between Kansai Airport in Osaka and Busan.

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said Friday that U.S. forces have told him the transfer of some of its marines from his prefecture to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam can begin from around 2024. The governor, who is visiting the territory, received a briefing on ...

Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world's largest oil firm, is considering conducting its initial public offering in two stages, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange emerging as the international frontrunner, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday in its online edition. The state oil giant, known as ...

The ministry wants ¥52.4 billion to join the space race but ¥88 billion to start converting the Izumo into a conventional aircraft carrier and buy six stealth F-35Bs for it.

China's greenhouse gas emission targets are at risk as a result of the trade war with the United States, which has put Beijing's coal-reliant economy under heavy pressure, a senior climate official said Friday. "External elements, such as the Sino-U.S. trade war, have brought negative ...

President Donald Trump has launched a new Pentagon command dedicated to warfare in space at a time when China and Russia are pressing hard to erode the U.S. advantage in the newest military frontier. "This is a landmark day, one that recognizes the centrality of ...

The Fair Trade Commission said Thursday it has compiled draft guidelines for tighter regulation of technology giants in order to strengthen protection of customer data, and aims to introduce the first such rules as early as October. The antitrust watchdog said the guidelines are designed ...

Spectators will be allowed to smoke in designated spaces inside and around stadiums during the Rugby World Cup starting next month, in stark contrast with the smoke-free 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Critics have questioned the organizer's policy, saying it runs counter to the global ...

A woman sued the operator of an Osaka hospital where she works on Friday, claiming she suffered undue emotional distress after her boss revealed to colleagues she had transitioned some years earlier due to her gender dysphoria. In a damages lawsuit filed with the Osaka ...

Matshidiso Moeti has been one of Africa's foremost caretakers for more than three decades. Last week, she was nominated by 47 member states of the World Health Organization to serve a second five-year term as regional director for Africa, and this week in Yokohama she ...

Industrial output rebounded more than expected in July, but retail sales declined sharply and production was set to contract again next month, signaling a bumpy road for an economy facing growing global strains. Over the past year, Japan's economy and its manufacturers have been pressured ...

The transport ministry on Friday began testing new flight paths over central Tokyo for international passenger aircraft bound for Haneda airport, as the major hub looks to boost capacity in time for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The tests, using a small jet owned by ...

Apple sent out invitations on Thursday to a Sept. 10 event at its Silicon Valley campus, where it is expected to unveil a new-generation iPhone. In its trademark, tight-lipped style, Apple disclosed little about what it plans to spotlight in the Steve Jobs Theater at ...

The education department of the state of New York has recently advised public schools to refer to the Sea of Japan also as the "East Sea," the name pushed by South Korea. The guidance, which is not legally binding, was sent out earlier this month ...

A bundle of decaying ¥10,000 bills delivered anonymously to the Ehime Prefectural Government in January is genuine and the amount totaled ¥106.61 million, Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura revealed Thursday. He made the announcement based on the results of an appraisal by the Bank of Japan, where ...

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong was arrested Friday ahead of plans for another weekend of protests in the Chinese-ruled city, which is grappling with its biggest political crisis since its handover to Beijing more than two decades ago. Wong, the face of Hong Kong's ...

A local bureau of the Defense Ministry reported to the Okinawa Prefectural Government on Thursday that a window of a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter detached from the aircraft and fell into the sea. The part from the CH-53E large transport helicopter stationed at the U.S. ...

Tokyo has been ranked the world's safest city for the third year running, followed by Singapore and Osaka, according to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released Thursday. The Safe Cities Index 2019 report, released at a one-day conference on safe cities and ...

Japan's curbs on exports of high-tech materials to South Korea could backfire in the long run, eroding its dominance over a key link in the global chip supply chain, suppliers and experts have said. Japan tightened restrictions last month on exports of three chipmaking materials ...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament just weeks before Britain's EU departure date faced legal challenges on Thursday amid a furious outcry from pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit. Johnson announced the surprise decision Wednesday to dismiss Parliament next month for nearly ...

Scientists have picked up electrical activity in pea-sized, lab-grown brains for the first time, paving the way to model neurological conditions and answer fundamental questions on how our gray matter develops. It's not clear whether the mini-brains are conscious — the team behind the breakthrough ...

The largest U.S. business lobby urged President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to withdraw new tariffs starting Sunday and return to talks in good faith to end an escalating trade war that is threatening the economy. "At this moment of uncertainty, it is ...

U.S. prosecutors are investigating new instances of alleged technology theft by Chinese telecommunication equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Huawei is accused of stealing intellectual property from individuals and companies over several ...

Japan's earthquake countermeasures should be based on the fact that large earthquakes can strike anywhere at any time.

Unless the world's leaders can engineer a reversal of global warming, little else will matter.

Welcome to Part 2 of "Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020"!! Taking Sho-chan's place in the commentators' lounge for this episode is Rui Hachimura of the NBA Washington Wizards, which left everyone visibly shook. It turns out Hachimura is a super fan of "Terrace House." He's ...

Tomoya Mori belted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the second-place Seibu Lions to a 4-2 win over the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Friday. Mori's second homer in two days propelled the Lions to within one game of the ...

Defending champion Shori Hamada settled for the silver medal in the women's 78-kg division at the World Judo Championships on Friday, while 2017 men's 100-kg champion Aaron Wolf came away with a bronze. Hamada, who had won each of her first four matches by ippon, ...

Diego Oliveira and Yojiro Takahagi made the most of their second chances to score and lift league-leading FC Tokyo past Nagoya Grampus 2-1 on Friday night. Although Grampus had the most of the possession in a steady rain at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, they were more ...

Two days before their first game at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Japan men's national team members still looked relaxed, but at the same time they were certainly aware that the clock is ticking. On Friday, the Akatsuki Five took the floor at Shanghai Oriental ...